


Skewed

by Cai (Zanya)



Category: Loveless
Genre: Angst, Comfort, M/M, Scars, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 06:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2722130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zanya/pseuds/Cai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soubi's fears of Seimei coming back for him come true, but Ritsuka's will is stronger this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Skewed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YuliaLeafhill](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuliaLeafhill/gifts).



> repost from y!Gal. prompt request

“Please forgive me,” Ritsuka whispered even though he knew Soubi would not be able to hear him from this distance. 

The inside of the room was only lit by a small lamp that sat on top of the only table in the room. Shelves of books lined three quarters of the room, and Ritsuka noted that his brother seemed to have a thing for trapping Soubi in rooms that served as personal libraries. The room looked similar to the one they had been in many years ago, the night when Ritsu had been blinded. Only the owners of the house they were in lay on the kitchen floor, dead. It had taken Ritsuka some time to wonder across the house to find Soubi. 

A large window took up most of the only wall that wasn’t surrounded by books. Ritsuka knew that it would Seimei’s way out. And he would try to take Soubi with him, again. He growled, frustrated that he found himself in this situation one too many times. The same dance only a different day. 

Moving from the doorway, Ritsuka put himself between Soubi and his brother. A rare ironic smile graced his face when he remembered Soubi’s words earlier that morning and his immediate response to them. Now Ritsuka felt like an idiot for doubting him. 

He had honestly believed that Seimei wouldn’t come back, not after the last time. Even after Soubi had begged him to mark him so that he would become Loveless and remove Beloved from his neck, Ritsuka had refused to harm him. Now they were back where they started a couple years ago. And memories of when Seimei had last taken Soubi flooded him mind. 

When Ritsuka had finally found Soubi, he was left for dead, bloody and beaten from being forced to fight. Some of the marks had also been made from Seimei. Ritsuka felt certain of that. There had been blood in places he never wanted to see when he had bathed Soubi to wash and clean the wounds. It felt like he had failed his fighter even if technically Soubi belonged to his brother. 

Ritsuka tightened his resolve and stepped forward, alerting his brother to his presence. Seimei only smiled at him but made no move against him. That smile had been the same one from before. This time it would be the last smile he’d see from his brother. He couldn’t allow what happened two years ago to happen again no matter what even if it meant giving into Soubi’s wishes. 

“Soubi!” Ritsuka’s voice raised above his brother’s. “Stay right where you are. Don’t move.”

“Don’t listen to him, Soubi.” Seimei’s lips curled up into a smile. “You’re going to come with me and this time for good.”

Soubi stopped for a moment and looked at him before turning his attention to Seimei once again. “I’m sorry, Ritsuka. I cannot disobey him.”

“You can and you will stay where you are. I command you not to move.” Ritsuka raised his voice and kept the worry and guilt he felt from showing. He had to be harsh in order to keep Soubi by his side. It was the only way even if he hated doing it. “If you go with him, there will be no turning back. Not this time. I won’t forgive you.”

Soubi hesitated. The look in his eyes almost made Ritsuka lose his resolve. Betrayal and shame. Betrayal over Ritsuka even suggesting he could control himself and shame that he didn’t feel he could. 

“Soubi, come here.” Seimei’s voice carried through the room. “You’re my fighter. You cannot refuse me.”

“You don’t even care about him. Why can’t you leave us alone?” Ritsuka growled. “If you really did care about him, you’d let him go. You already have a fighter. You don’t need Soubi too.” 

“Why would I want to leave him alone when he’s so obedient?” Seimei laughed. “You act like this is your concern, but it’s not. This has nothing to do with you. Go home and leave us.” 

“Like hell I will.” Ritsuka remained where he stood, unwilling to be deterred this time. 

“Ritsuka.” Soubi’s hands clenched tightly and pulled against his body. “It’s fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” 

“No. You’re wrong. Look at me and only me.” Ritsuka reached out and grabbed Soubi by the arm. “Stay put. I won’t let him take you away.” 

They could fight this. Their bond was stronger than that, and Ritsuka would be dammed if Seimei took Soubi away. The last time, Soubi barely returned to him alive. It had taken months before the physical wounds had completely healed. It took a lot longer before anyone could walk up to him without Soubi flinching. Ritsuka had devoted most of his time that year to get things back somewhat the way they were before. He even had to repeat a grade in school but never regretted it. 

Soubi turned his head and when their eyes caught, Ritsuka felt more confident that he could do this. Even though there was fear in Soubi’s eyes, hope crept through. He needed to focus his attention on keeping Seimei out of the way so he moved forward until he stood between his brother and Soubi. 

“If you want to take him, you’ll have to get through me first.” Ritsuka moved his hands upwards, taking on a fighting stance. “You’ll have to see me as your opponent, Seimei.” 

“The only thing I see is that sleeping with him has made you weak, Ritsuka.” Seimei’s lips turned down, and his hands shook a little while tucked neatly against his thighs. “To waste your ears and tail on him isn’t something I can forgive so easily.”

“It wasn’t your decision to make.” Ritsuka quickly glanced over his shoulder and looked at Soubi. The look on Soubi’s face was unreadable but Ritsuka knew he was worried. Turning his attention back to his brother, he put his hands down. “He’s more worthy than anyone else I know.” 

“How childish and foolish.” But despite the obvious distaste in those words, Seimei smiled. “I could never punish you for long so he’ll have to bear the brunt of it for you.”

“Then I guess I won’t give you any other choice.” Ritsuka backed up a couple steps, gently bumping into Soubi. Now that his body almost completely protected Soubi from Seimei’s wrath, he knew that he would either be forced to fight or they would luck out and his brother would leave them alone. 

Seimei frowned and raised his hand. Ritsuka braced himself for the fight. 

~*~

The Beloved mark looked swollen and burned brightly against Soubi’s neck. The skin around it was red and irritated like it had been scrubbed many times. Ritsuka knew it probably had. When they came back to their apartment, Soubi had holed away in the bathroom for an hour. Once he came out, his entire neck looked bad. 

Sighing, he sat down in front of Soubi. “Let me take a look at it.” 

Soubi glanced up at him and pulled back for a moment before relenting. Ritsuka’s fingers lightly traced around the swollen skin and he tried to figure out how exactly he was going to get rid of that mark. His brother had allowed them to go. Once Seimei had figured out that Ritsuka wouldn’t move out the way, he escaped through the window, leaving them alone. It had taken some time before Ritsuka was certain they wouldn’t be followed so they could come home. 

By the time they had, he sat down and thought about their situation and what to do. Ritsu had told him once that Soubi was a wild card and the name could be changed. All he had to do was leave his own mark and erase his brother’s. At first Ritsuka balked at the thought, but then Koi had suggested a tattoo. Could it be that simple? The biggest problem to his plan would be getting rid of scar tissue so that Beloved couldn’t be read. That would require something more than a simple tattoo. How could he rid Soubi of the scar in his neck without hurting him?

That was part of the problem. Soubi had begged Ritsuka to take charge and hurt him. It had been something he had heard many times before, but after the last time Soubi had left him, Ritsuka had time to think. Then he put off any conclusion he had come to because it all led back to him owning his fighter. He could kill his brother, or he could give Soubi what he wanted, within reason. Killing Seimei didn’t set well with him. Ritsuka wasn’t a killer. 

“Soubi—” Ritsuka paused, unsure of how to continue. “We… need to figure this out. I don’t want this to happen again. Next time I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop you from leaving.”

“You stopped me this time.” Soubi’s voice was quiet, though clear. 

Ritsuka didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure what to say or how to respond. The idea of losing Soubi made him sick to the stomach. The idea of what his brother would do to Soubi settled in him even worse. There was no way his brother would let this transgression pass. The punishment would be severe at best. 

Soubi sat on the floor near the small table. His legs were tucked in underneath him, and his hair was still damp, hanging loose across his shoulders. Neither of them had said anything since they returned home, that Ritsuka felt tempted to allow the peacefulness to continue, even if it was only an illusion. But this tension and worry needed to settle between them. At least some of it. 

“You will go and get it removed.” Ritsuka looked down at Soubi. “Or at least have fixed so that his name is no longer on you. You don’t belong to him anymore. You belong to me.” 

Ritsuka knew that until Soubi did that, Seimei would always be a problem for them. It had to stop, and this was the only way he could think to stop it without any violence. Regardless of how Soubi asked to be treated, Ritsuka would never be able to mistreat him. 

“You’ll be free from him and the pain won’t be so bad,” Ritsuka softly said. “If you don’t take yourself, I will make you go down there and have it down. Then we’ll check into seeing if a doctor can remove his mark from you.”

Soubi sighed and leaned into him. “If that is your wish.”

Wrapping his arms around Soubi, Ritsuka rested his head on his shoulder. His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt horrible for demanding so much. But despite his feelings, he pushed them aside and focused on what the outcome would be. He focused on how it would feel to finally have his fighter released from his bonds that Seimei had him in.


End file.
